AP English Literature & Composition

The APEnglish Literature and Composition course is characterized by all those things you were wishing fervently for last year when you signed up for it: lots of reading from books that will either make your head spin or clog you up with questions such as: “What was that about?” There will be lots of writing; lots of vocabulary; and grammar instruction as the need dictates. There will be a Poetry Project, for which you will write five 2-page essays in a little over two weeks and then one 10-page essay, all on single poems by an author of your choice. In the final three weeks of the course, we will go over old AP Exams.

Your papers will be examined for effective word choice, inventive sentence structure, effective overall organization, clear emphasis, and above all, excellence of argument, including a clearly stated thesis and exhaustive supportive evidence (i.e., quotations), as well as a clear, persuasive, elegant connection of this evidence to your overall argument. You will be asked to keep a notebook (or computer file) for vocabulary, grammar, and class discussion of literature. You will also be asked to read regularly outside of class and to report on that reading in a book report once a semester. The intent of this assignment is to broaden your reading and to improve your reading fluency.

The course is characterized by all those things you were wishing fervently for...